Frame assemblies for doorways generally comprise two vertical sections (upright jambs) and a horizontal section (header jamb) that connects the two upright jambs to form a standard door frame or assembly for installation in a doorway. The upright jambs and the header jamb are generally manufactured and sold with either a single or double rebate depending on whether the door assembly is to have one or two door panels fitted. Once purchased, additional rebates are required to be made at either end of the header jamb to accommodate the upright jambs so that the frame assembly can fit neatly within the doorway. However, such additional header rebates are usually prepared onsite using a saw or chisel which oftentimes leads to unsightly saw or chisel marks in the header jamb that subsequently need to be filled or smoothed to ensure a seamless connection with the corresponding upright jamb.
The upright jambs and the header jamb are typically manufactured as a set with each jamb being of generally a fixed dimension in accordance with those of standard doorways. This presents problems in cases where the doorway is not a standard doorway such that one or more of the jambs in the set have the wrong dimensions and new jambs need to be custom built. The one or more jambs remaining in the set are therefore redundant and often left to waste.
Standard doorways also pose difficulties when large or awkward household items such as, for example, furniture or whitegoods, are to be passed through the doorway. Due to the fixed width of standard doorways, such items may require disassembling or some other form of time-and energy-consuming maneuvering to pass the item through the doorway. In other cases, the doorway may also need to be widened to allow, for example, wheelchair access. In cases where the doorway is to be widened, it is necessary to obtain at least a new header jamb to account for the additional width of the doorway. This presents additional problems, as the new header jamb will again need to have additional header rebates cut to accommodate the existing upright jambs.
The present invention seeks to provide a frame assembly for a doorway which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.